Does everyone carry with a round chambered?

[2in1evtime]

It boils down to knowing your gun, its capabilities as well as your own, when you have it all together it becomes a extension of yourself. Practice drawing unload at first, become comfortable with it, practice safety, you will be fine.!!!!!

 

[BigRed]

If you do, I'll pay top dollar for a box. LOL Ohio Blue Tips were DA BOMB!

But..but... what if a kid struck a match?

 

[actaeon277]

 

[JohnP82]

I carried revolvers for years, always left it on an empty cylinder. Now I’m carrying a shield. I’m gonna assume I’m going to get made fun of here, but I’ve carried without a round chambered. Always kind of hoped/assumed if something was coming I’d see it coming. Then the other day I was working on my daughters car at her apartment complex, and as I’m going to her door this mid sized black dog starts charging. Probly 45-50 lb of mutt. I panic for a minute, saw it was on a lead, ran a few steps, then realized he’d pulled the stake from the ground and was loose. My back hit the wall of the building, it lunges at me, I bashed it in the head with my tool bag, it tries again I hit it twice more and run ten more steps, finally starting to think, realize he thinks he’s just doing his job, but there’s no where else to run and decide if he comes at me again I’m going to shoot it, but there I am, with a pistol that I’d have to jack a round in the chamber while it’s biting me, if it comes to that. Thankfully it backed off, but I’ve been thinking about it ever since.
Edit.. I carry on my hip in a kydex that covers the bang bang stick. Reading the comments I think it’s just a mental thing I need to get over.

No reason for anyone to make fun of you for this, as many people went through the same thing at some point. Myself included many years ago.

Usually it takes a real life wake up call like the one you explained to make people reconsider.

The way I look at it, safety is your top priority, good for you. That is part of responsible gun ownership. You respect the weapon and what can happen when handled incorrectly. Sounds like you have a proper holster, that's good. Very important! Now it just sounds like training.
We all carry for the same reason, and while we all hope to never need to use our weapon, it should be ready to go as your experience showed. Thankfully your experience wasn't any worse.

I say good for you to bring it up and discuss it openly.

 

[indyblue]

I'm glad this question came up. I usually carry my 92FS ready to go since it is DA, but I was just re-reading the Springfield manual for my 1911 TRP when I noticed it says not to carry with a round in the chamber. I guess that statement is meant to minimize their liability or is this just for the 1911 platform?

I'll admit that I'm a little self-conscious when carrying the TRP cocked and even though I have gotten used to it I'm much more comfortable carrying the 92 with safety off.

 

[bwframe]

The idea to take a class or three is a good one. Make it your new years resolution. Memorize and diligently practice the four rules.

I'll argue with the well intentioned folks who say to not use the manual safety on your pistol. That is bad idea.

If your pistol has a manual safety, you should train to swipe the safety off as part of your drawstroke.

Ignoring or treating the manual safety as always off can be a fatal error if somehow the switch gets inadvertently gets switched on. I have seen this happen more than once in competition.

The smart move is to buy and train with a modern pistol that has all internal safeties. No manual safety means nothing to get turned the wrong way, nothing to forget to switch off in the heat of the gunfight.

 

[wtburnette]

One in the pipe Always and if your shield has a safety keep it off. Many stories of guys trying to pull a trigger that is on safety. When your in flight or fight you need things to be as simple as possible because your monkey brain takes over

Sent from my moto g power using Tapatalk

Exactly, as other's have said, when SHTF you are extremely unlikely to have the time to rack the slide to be ready to fire. Numerous examples of people not taking the safety off and that's a faster, easier thing to do. You carry a gun to be able to protect yourself and/or others. Carrying it without a round in the chamber hinders that to the point where I would recommend you don't carry at all if you can't get comfortable carrying that way. It's not a magical talisman that prevents harm. It's a tool that has to be used the right way to be useful. Good idea about taking classes. You will learn a lot and hopefully get you more comfortable carrying correctly. Good luck.

 

[NHT3]

It boils down to knowing your gun, its capabilities as well as your own, when you have it all together it becomes a extension of yourself. Practice drawing unload at first, become comfortable with it, practice safety, you will be fine.!!!!!

Training and shoot in a few matches of some sort. Parabellum has USPSA and Carry gun matches, Tim's has Action pistol.. Training will enlighten you to what you don't know and the matches will put you in a more comfortable mindset where safety and your abilities are concerned.

 

[Magyars]

Anybody have actual strike anywhere matches?

Years ago I bought a case. Store them in an ammo can...still using them.

 

[BehindBlueI's]

An old thread, now, but one I wrote after working yet another case of someone losing to bad guys because they carried on an empty chamber:

I am *begging* you, stop carrying on an empty chamber.

CARRYING ON AN EMPTY CHAMBER WILL GET YOU KILLED. Please, please, please stop doing this. Is it honestly better to carry no gun than carry a gun that's not ready to fight when you pull it. It will get you killed. IT WILL GET YOU KILLED. The bad guys will prevail because of the head start...

www.indianagunowners.com

That incident was an entangled gunfight where the good guy was killed with his gun out but empty chamber. If you can't bring yourself to carry chambered, go back to the revolver. Revolvers work and the reduced capacity is nowhere remotely near as likely to be a deciding factor as not having a functional weapon at the draw.

 

[OneBadV8]

If it isn't loaded, it doesn't work.

I hate when I have to agree with BigRed

Train, train, train, and always have one ready to go. It’s like having a remote control with batteries next to it

 

[wtburnette]

An old thread, now, but one I wrote after working yet another case of someone losing to bad guys because they carried on an empty chamber:

I am *begging* you, stop carrying on an empty chamber.

CARRYING ON AN EMPTY CHAMBER WILL GET YOU KILLED. Please, please, please stop doing this. Is it honestly better to carry no gun than carry a gun that's not ready to fight when you pull it. It will get you killed. IT WILL GET YOU KILLED. The bad guys will prevail because of the head start...

www.indianagunowners.com

That incident was an entangled gunfight where the good guy was killed with his gun out but empty chamber. If you can't bring yourself to carry chambered, go back to the revolver. Revolvers work and the reduced capacity is nowhere remotely near as likely to be a deciding factor as not having a functional weapon at the draw.

Your posts are a major factor in my decision to move away from guns with safeties and go back to polymer striker fired pistols. Thank you for your insight.

 

[Steel and wood]

Training and shoot in a few matches of some sort. Parabellum has USPSA and Carry gun matches, Tim's has Action pistol.. Training will enlighten you to what you don't know and the matches will put you in a more comfortable mindset where safety and your abilities are concerned.

This is the best advice given, the more repetition is the best.

 

[lrdudley]

Anybody have actual strike anywhere matches?

Sportsman's Warehouse shows them as a stock item. Currently out of stock at Greenwood.
https://www.sportsmans.com/camping-...utm_content=Camping#smw_turnto_comments_title

 

[Cameramonkey]

The original formula was.

I

Sportsman's Warehouse shows them as a stock item. Currently out of stock at Greenwood.
https://www.sportsmans.com/camping-gear-supplies/safety-survival/fire-starters/diamond-3-pack-strike-anywhere-matches/p/101034?msclkid=97084d1ed7a01b7c1d8a2cdb18c2836f&utm_source=bing&utm_medium=cpc&utm_campaign=Bing - DSA - Category Pages&utm_term=camping gear supplies safety survival fire starters&utm_content=Camping#smw_turnto_comments_title

you are out of the loop. Years ago they changed the formula of the tips to make them safer. The new ones are not really strike anywhere.

I think part of the problem was in extreme cases, they could self ignite. Because anywhere included other blue tips. So enough friction/vibration and they could go up still in the box. (very very VERY rare)

 

[DadSmith]

Anybody have actual strike anywhere matches?

Diamond Weatherproof Matches, Wind and Waterproof Match for Camping, Hiking and Emergency Prep (25-Count) 533-376-985 - The Home Depot

Diamond Weatherproof Matches are wind and waterproof and guaranteed to stay lit for up to 25 seconds in even the harshest conditions.

www.homedepot.com

I use these for camping, hunting, and anything outdoors that requires me to start a fire. Highly recommend them.
They are not strike anywhere, but the box holds up well. I imagine these would be great for bugout bags.

 

[BehindBlueI's]

Oh, and as MC said, Not piling on, but there was a tragic death on the south side of Indy a couple years ago. A gent tried to come to the aid of an armored car robbery. I dont recall if it was an empty chamber or forgotten safety, but he was ready to go and when he pulled the trigger, nothing happened. Robber saw him and took him out before he could make the weapon ready.

I think we all commend you for stepping up and asking questions, open to learning. Good on you.

If it's the one I'm thinking of, thumb safety wasn't deactivated.

 

[BehindBlueI's]

If your pistol has a manual safety, you should train to swipe the safety off as part of your drawstroke.

And this needs to be done until you can't get it wrong. It's one thing to flip it off as you draw under no real stress at a range. It's completely another to flip it off while under severe survival stress, knocked on your backside, entangled, injured, etc.

I trained a *lot* with a 1911 for years, but I finally had to admit I could get to 99% but not 100% when I started doing more realistic training, including entangled stuff. Years later I had a real world incident were my thumb was broken and inoperative the rest of the fight. I have zero use for a manual safety on a handgun.

 

[Leadeye]

Old Colt SAAs and their close copies carry on an epmty chamber because the firing pin would rest on the primer otherwise. While I love to shoot them I wouldn't consider them for EDC.

 

[SnoopLoggyDog]

Have a friend who is new to shooting that only carried on an empty chamber. Several range sessions cured him when we practiced strong and weak hand only draws.